


Different Loves

by Red_Seraphim



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-05
Updated: 2012-08-06
Packaged: 2017-11-11 12:25:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/478530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Seraphim/pseuds/Red_Seraphim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caliborn and Dirk struggle to find a common ground from two vastly different worlds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Differences and Annoyances

You're Dirk Strider, and maybe letting that alien crash at your place wasn't the best idea. All he's done is bitch and complain about how the bed is either too soft or too hard, how you waste your day while he just sits on your couch and eats all your goddamn popcorn watching bad movies all day. What is he, Jake? And he keeps pestering you to 'play a game', but you're getting really tired of drawing weirdly non-pornographic porn while he stands behind you barking directions and putting his hands on the back of your chair so you can't fucking relax while you draw. It's really irritating to have to be so tense while you draw the softest of softcore porn. The Pony Pals you edited for Jane had more action than this.

And then you've had it. You're going to strife the shit out of him. You write him a quick note, drop it unceremoniously into his popcorn and ascend the stairs to the roof.

 

You're now Caliborn, and you almost ate some fucking piece of paper. It's crumpled up from you grabbing it like a handful of popcorn. You sigh and set your popcorn aside and smooth out the paper.

"Roof. Now. We need to discuss shit," it reads.

You sigh. Dirk's the most passive aggressive fucker ever. It's like those kid movies where the silly human male protaganist is nervous about courting his mate interest and doesn't even try anything tender at all. After watching one of those you always felt like you were cheated.

Ascending the stairs, you become more wary. It's quiet. Too quiet. Those birds that are normally up here on the roof are quiet. They're not quiet unless they're gone. And they're not gone unless something scared them off. You finally walk out into the sunshine.

And then you feel a foot press against your skull and you're falling to the ground.

 

You're Dirk Strider and you're going to beat the shit out of this fucker. You have your katana drawn, but you're just butting him in the head and chest and back. Enough to hurt, not maim. You're a Strider - you're not going to kill a guy because you're frustrated with him. But it's not really satisfying when he just laughs and rolls with your affronts and comes back with his claws. Eventually you need to pin him down, sword up against his throat. He's still laughing, that guttural laugh that comes from his core.

"This is fun! Why haven't you done this sooner?" he laughs, hardly seeming to notice your sword.

"Because I'm a patient guy. And you should be able to find your own amusements. I'm not your goddamn babysitter," you say.

He grins and moves as if he's trying to get up. You hold firm. He sighs, as if he's just annoyed. Why isn't he worried about getting his throat sliced?

"Caliborn, stop pissing me off," you say.

"How the hell am I pissing you off, Dirk human?"

"All you do is complain about how terrible it is here when you spent about a day bugging me about letting you stay here. If it's so uncomfortable in my bed, go find a hotel. If you think I'm wasting my time, then don't spend all day watching tv and eating my food."

"And what, draw my own pornography?"

"No, I can deal with the porn drawing. Seriously, you've got the tamest interests I've ever seen. It's like your Mr. motherfucking Darcy or some shit, getting all excited from holding Elizabeth's hand while you're dancing. What I have issue with is you breathing down my neck while I do it. It was better when you were a universe away," you say.

Whoa. That hit a nerve. His grin vanishes and his face hardens. He suddenly pushes you off, like you're nothing. He turns and faces the edge of the building, and he looks out at the sky.

"Listen to me, Strider, and listen fucking close. You. Do. NOT. Understand me. You have never understood me. You have thought that you have understood me. You think you've had me figured out, that you understand how I think about you, all of you. You fucking don't, Strider. We call things you know intimately completely different words. I don't feel the same things you do. Not in the same way. You are some stupid, social lump of flesh. You need others to survive, to thrive."

"Me? I'm utterly different than you. I have all the social interaction I need within myself. You remember. Well, even that's eventually too much for my kind. My kind is built for solitude, to be left fucking alone because we are strong enough to kill anything that could kill us. We don't need anyone, even the one besides us. Dominance is our greatest expression, power overcomes anything else. Any other desire. My sister was weak. I was strong. There wasn't anything else. The only time we..." he trails off.

And then he turns to face you. His deep, red eyes looking into the shades that cover your orange ones. They're glossier than you've ever seen them. They shimmer and move like water. Is he...

"Love is different things to us, Strider. More different than your puny human brain can possibly comprehend."

He turns and walks back down to your apartment.

He just poured his heart out to you, and you...

What will you do?


	2. The Little Things

You're Dirk Strider, and well, that was heavy.

You decide to stay up on the roof and give Caliborn his space. You're...not really sure how to react to that. Basically he just ranted at you about how you two are different species. Yeah, you got that from the green skin and claws. But you're pretty sure he just confessed his feelings for you. In a weird, angry-as-fuck sort of way.

You sit on the edge of the building, letting your legs dangle. You think you need a moment to take in everything he said. 

You two are different. Check. You completely understand that. You call stuff different words? Where did that come from? You both say 'Love', same english. Which is kinda weird in your opinion, but well, you've experienced enough to know that situation is more of the norm than anything else in the world. What did he mean?

Nevermind. Next bits you can analyze. You can put that question aside.

You're a 'stupid, social lump of flesh'. Okay. You can admit to that. You depend on people. Where would you be without the forethought of your Bro? You'd be dead a long time ago, drowned beneath the waves of what used to be called Texas.

But is Caliborn really any less of a social lump of flesh than you are? He has a point, that he's incredibly strong. You don't think that any drone you've ever had to face during the reign of the Batterwitch.

But his sister was so utterly different than he was. She didn't care about power. She cared about having friends. And even he would chat with them, even if it was either to threaten them or get you to draw smut...

 

You're Caliborn, and you can hardly believe that you said all that shit to Dirk. You breathe and slide your hand down the railing of the stairs until you realize you're basically cutting the wood with your claws. Shit. Fucking inconvenient. You almost fucking cried. You were sure that only Calliope was ever weak enough for shit like that.

Calliope. That's a name you've been...Well, dammit, afraid of. Afraid to say. Afraid to even think. You can't imagine what would happen if she woke up now. You wonder if being angry would make her any stronger. But no. She's gone. She's gone and you're left.

You slump down onto the couch, turn on the tv, and think about what that means. You think about what that really means to someone...something like you.

 

You're Dirk Strider, and you guess Caliborn fucked up your railings? Well, doesn't really matter to you. You didn't use them. And he was pretty upset. You walk over to the couch where he's lying and watching television, again.

"Hey," you say. For being a man with a plan, this one's going to be pretty much on the fly for you.

He doesn't move at all. You can't see his eyes, but you don't imagine those moved much either.

"So. About, you know, an hour ago," you start again. This time his head turns up and looks at you. He's got a very passive face right now, not at all like he usually is. He sits up and you come over and sit beside him.

"That was...pretty heavy. I'm sorry if I, y'know, offended you or whatnot."

"Strider, that was-" he starts.

"But now I want to give you a little speech," you cut him off. "I'm not as simple as you think I am. I didn't have as much interaction before the game to really qualify as a weak socialite you made me out to be. I had myself. I had robotics, my computer, and my fucking self. No human interaction beyond pestering Jane, Roxy and Jake. And occasionally you would ask me to draw you some smut.

"And you're not as cool or as much as an island as you want to be, not really. Yeah," you say, raising your hand to stop him from interrupting you, "I understand that you're all strong and your species is about power, I get that. You've shown that exemplary. But you get starved for social interaction. I know you do. You ask me for smut because you want to indulge yourself in emotions you think completely contradict what you're capable of. You are, or at least were, obsessed with games. Whenever you'd ask me for porn you'd just say 'I want to play a game". And there's something I noticed about games."

"And what's that?" he asks you, during your little pause.

"There more fun to play with at least two."

You leave it there. You lean back and rest against the couch and Caliborn stares at you for a moment. And then he turns back to the TV. You both watch some reality show for a few minutes, and then you hear him reply, finally.

"You're a very interesting human, Dirk. Observant."

"It helps that I've lived several different lives at once. It sort of helps with perspective, I guess."

He adjusts himself against the couch, like he's trying to get comfortable.

"Do you like me, Dirk?"

You look over at him.

"Like, human like me. Do you human like me Dirk?"

"What's 'liking' like for you, Caliborn?"

"Answer my question first, Dirk," he says, looking you straight in the face.

"Yeah, I human like you. You're just an annoying douche too."

He sort of sits back and faces the TV again. He has a face like he just ate a bad burrito and needs to focus on it going down so he doesn't get sick at any moment.

"Liking for me is... I think you equilateral it to pity? It's sort of. Difficult."

"What the hell? I'm pitiful to you?" you ask.

He shakes his head vehemently for a second. "No no. God. Fucking. Dammit. I...like you more than that. Pitying you doesn't make my want to just rip out your jugular so I can I see our common blood. It wouldn't make me want to feel you splatter on my while you're still a fresh kill in my hands."

You suppose that you should be creeped out right now. But fuck it.

"So you want to kill me."

"Yes, Dirk. That is what 'liking' is for me. I want to kill you, to devour you because I see you as strong. An opponent worthy of death. One who could excite me to such a degree all I can desire to defeat you. To have such power over you."

"Hold my heart in your hand?"

He closes his eyes and his voices gets a little more guttural. "Hell. Yes," he says, and his claws dig into his fists.

"Since we're in the business of explaining culture, do you want an explanation of human liking, Caliborn?" you ask him.

He looks at you. "I understand it already. What more could you possibly teach me?"

That fucker. You lean across the couch, grab his face with your hands and you kiss him. It's odd to feel those sharp teeth grazing the top of your tongue. His tongue is pretty soft though. You weren't expecting that. You closed your eyes, but you open them for a moment to see if he's surprised.

Yep, he is. He's staring at you, gripping your biceps with his hands. He's pretty surprised.

You keep it up for a few more seconds, but your brain's telling you to get your shit together and take an actual breath now, not just little short intakes of Caliborn's face. You let his lips go, and sit back. He looks paralyzed.

"Think you've learned everything then?" you ask, and grin a little.

He looks down, like he's trying to glance at his mouth, and then back at you.

And then it's his turn to lean across the couch.


End file.
